the smell of fresh paint
by Bottle Glass
Summary: Team Seven attempts to paint a house, but as usual, it's rarely that simple. Team Seven, SasuSaku if you squint.


**a/n:** i have returned from the dead… and to mark my return to fanfiction, here are the ultra-late SasuSaku Month drabbles.

ANDDDDD HOLY CRACKERJACKS WE ARE CANON.

**SSM 2014:  
><strong>Day One - The Smell of Fresh Paint

**Blanket disclaimer:** Naruto isn't mine!

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><p>Sakura had to admit that it was a strange sight: Uchiha Sasuke painting a house, slowly but surely rebuilding a part of the village that he had once sworn to destroy.<p>

It was like observing a beast tamed, a creature far out of its natural habitat—one that obeyed willingly despite being far superior to its masters, and beholden to no one.

Well, Sakura corrected herself, that wasn't entirely true. He wasn't beholden to _no one._

As if on cue, Naruto came bounding up beside her. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a wide grin on his tanned face. "Whatcha up to?"

Before she could answer, he glanced up at the two-story house before them, and laughed aloud when he caught sight of their raven-haired teammate performing manual labor. Snickering, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled loud enough to make Sakura wince, "Hey, Sasuke-teme! _You missed a spot!" _

A growl, and then—

A bucket full of heavy, sloshing paint came flying at Naruto.

With the realization that Sasuke wasn't making a distinction about who he punished—or perhaps he simply didn't care—Sakura barely managed to leap out of the way.

Naruto, on the other hand, was not so lucky.

Swearing, the blond successfully dodged the first bucket, but didn't manage to avoid the second. The heavy, half-full can knocked him over, sending him sprawling in a sea of green paint.

After a brief second, he leapt to his feet, while from a safe distance Sakura dissolved into laughter. Dripping green from head to toe, Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke. "You bastard!" he shouted, arms flailing wildly and flinging green splatters everywhere. "You almost hit Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blinked, wiping the tears from her laughter out of her eyes. _That_ was what Naruto was concerned about?

"She got out of the way, didn't she?"

She glanced up at Sasuke, who was standing at the top of the house, glaring down at the blond. Her cheeks flushed when his dark-eyed gaze suddenly swept over her, scanning her from top to bottom, before returning to Naruto. "Look, dobe. She's clean."

When the blond turned to her quizzically, she smiled back. She stretched out her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. "He's right, Naruto. Not a mark on me."

Then, suddenly, Naruto's gaze was mischievous, the prankster within him coming to life. "Well, not for long, Sakura-chan!"

Like a horrifying green sludge monster from a nightmare, he lurched toward her, arms outstretched and grinning widely. "How 'bout a hug, Sakura-chaaaaaannn?"

Laughing, she scrambled out of reach, just as another flying can of paint knocked her pursuer to the ground.

As Naruto struggled to his feet, this time weighed down by a dripping mix of green and purple, Sakura mouthed a silent _thanks_ to her savior, who smirked back.

Their paint-covered teammate finally stood upright, furiously wiping the thick liquid out of his eyes and mouth. "DAMMIT, SASUKE!" he screeched. "GET DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!"

A giggling Sakura watched as Sasuke shook his head, still smirking. "High ground holds the advantage, dobe. What ninja doesn't know that?"

Naruto, hindered by the rapidly-drying paint, roared something unintelligible before slowly shifting into a ready position. His hands, encased in layers of hardened paint, came together in a series of familiar signs.

When Sakura realized what he was about to do, she panicked. "Naruto, _don't_—"

When he ignored her, she quickly turned her attention to Sasuke and was met with the glinting red of the Sharingan. An array of paint cans were stacked by Sasuke's feet: more than enough to take out an army, much less one paint-covered Naruto.

But then again, Sakura corrected herself morosely, with Naruto, there was never just _one._

"_Kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

She groaned, as her surroundings (and her clean clothes) were all shot to hell.

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><p>Epilogue<p>

After Kakashi teleported away, everything became dangerously quiet. It was the proverbial 'pin-drop' silence.

Then—

"_Why is it that, on _MY _day off, I have to spend it repainting the house that _YOU TWO _idiots destroyed?"_


End file.
